Monday, July 30, 2012

It's that time of year again. Everyone is trying to figure out how to make the pieces fit together. New high school graduates are either preparing to go off to college or are scrambling to figure out what to do because plan A didn't come together as expected. Soon-to-be high school seniors are bracing to make sure they finish well to secure a place at their top pick for the 2013-2014 academic year. And based on some new announcements starting to roll in, high school juniors should be making sure they are ready to launch into some serious dual credit enrollment.

Stories are now beginning to pop up announcing partnerships between high schools, community colleges and four-year universities which will allow students to earn their college degrees for $10,000.

Under the plan, this fall's juniors who successfully complete 24 semester credit hours of dual credit college courses in their junior and senior years of high school can transition seamlessly into Tarrant County College, and then complete the final two years at UT-Arlington.

It's designed to be one five-year-long pipeline, with students graduating after three years in college. High-performing transfer students would be eligible for a UT-Arlington scholarship of up to $10,000. If students meet all requirements and qualify for the scholarship, costs and fees could be under $10,000, a savings of $25,000.

Newpartnerships like theseseem to be springing up with several schools.Compared to the normal $70K-$150K price tag for a four--and by four we all know it's usually five--year degree, this sounds like a really great deal. Honestly, this is a great step in the right direction. But did you know that you can do even better?

Accelerate University clients who branch off of that traditional pipeline at the beginning of their junior year, frequently find themselves graduating with their entire college degree when they would normally be graduating high school. High school seniors tend to do the same. In fact, high school graduates who choose Accelerate University rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar school often complete their entire college degrees in as little as 9 months--still finishing more than two years earlier than the "high performing" students on this new plan.

And, what about the price tag? Well, from everything that can be seen in the articles reporting these new deals, the $10,000 is just what students can expect to spend as they finish up at the four-year college. It does not appear to include the costs of the community college before that or the dual credit courses before community college. Accelerate University clients, however, can complete their entire degrees for $10,000 or less--from beginning to end including books, fees and tuition.

Yes, it is great to see new plans being crafted which will allow more students to obtain that college degree without getting crushed by student loan debt. It is always encouraging to know that there are people in position who care about those coming behind them. For students who plan to give this new deal a try, the Accelerate University Test Success Kits can guide you through earning 18 college credits much more quickly and inexpensively than dual credit. But if you are serious about taking strategic strides forward by completing your fully accredited bachelor's degree in as little as 9 months for less than $10,000 please be sure to consider all that the Accelerate University program has to offer you!